Join in the celebration of Open Education Week on October 20-26, 2025. Learn how to make education more accessible and affordable for all students. A problem in scholarly publishing Have you ever been researching a topic, but ended up at a pay wall that stops you from reading an article? Have you ever wondered why libraries offer access to scholarly articles inside of complex databases, rather than just searching the web? Do you ever wonder why research funded by taxpayers isn’t available for free? The path for journal articles to make their way into the hands of researchers may not seem like a controversial subject, but it is very complex! What is Open Access? In the traditional academic publishing model, libraries, companies, and individuals pay a publisher for access to scholarly journal articles. When most academic research happened in print, this model made more sense: authors had few other ways of sharing their research and ideas. However, in the 1990s, the academic publishing industry saw a lot of consolidation, and the price of purchasing access to academic journals skyrocketed. Costs became so high that many smaller libraries were simply not able to afford to purchase access for patrons and students, which led to big concerns about equity and who had access to research. The Open Access movement began as a correction to this problem, as well as a vision to change the fundamental way academic information is shared. Of course, this coincides with the growth of the internet and digitization, which completely changed the way we look for information and how it is delivered. Through the first decade of the 2000s, what we know as the Open Access movement formed and gathered momentum. Today, it is solidly part of the academic publishing landscape, with many high impact and respected journals. Open Access proponents see a few clear benefits to open access publishing: More equitable access to researchers and the public of academic content Fosters collaboration and facilitates the sharing of research Eases some financial burden for libraries and educational institutions How can I learn more or participate in International Open Access Week? International Open Access Week this year will be recognized October 20-26, 2025.This year’s theme asks the urgent question: Who Owns Our Knowledge? Click the Events menu on the previously linked page to see what is scheduled around the globe to recognize this event. Where do I find Open Access articles and journals? You can find Open Access journals in many of the same places you’ll find academic research, including library catalogs, Google Scholar, and library databases. Major academic publishers (like Elsevier or Wiley) have open access journals, and there are also independent publishers and journals. If you want to seek out open journals specifically, take a look at the Directory of Open Access Journals, or DOAJ. As with all research, it is important to know your source: take the time to investigate the journal and/or publisher to be sure that it is legitimate, as there are bad actors in the academic publishing space. A few notable open access publishers: PLoS: Scientific research journals Open Library of Humanities: Humanities journals University of California Press: Scholarly books